I'm Going To Wear Purple Lipstick This Fall If It's The Last Thing I Do

I've been gazing at purply lipstick shades for the past few weeks -- they’re everywhere right now. I’m usually a bright red, punchy pink or coral kind of gal, so the idea of coloring my lips purple seems a bit out of my comfort zone. I know for a fact that the colors aforementioned are flattering on me, but purple? Not so sure.

So I decided to test out five different shades, ranging from pale lavender to deep (I’m talking real deep) violet. I also decided to take these photos outside by a berry tree, because it is fall. 

I fell head over heels for this lipstick. It’s lavender, it’s highly pigmented, it smells like vanilla cake (which made me pine for sweets and I’m on a no sugar diet -- ugh), and has a satin-matte finish.

Aside from all the rah rah, I think we can all agree that this lavender lippie is probably not my new signature shade. It’s pretty in theory, but it doesn’t mesh with my skin tone and hair color. 

Since the pastel shade didn’t work out in my favor but I like the formula so much, I decided to give this darker shade a go.

It seems to have a tad of magenta in the mix, which makes it a much more flattering option. 

I applied two layers of Shameless, so it definitely appears darker but I think it’s one of the best-looking shades so far.

Aside from being a workable color for me, I’m also addicted to the formula: a velvety texture that contains refreshing peppermint oil (a perk when you’re eating smelly things for lunch). It didn’t dry out my lips either, which is a plus when talking matte lipsticks. Oh yeah, it’s also a twist up pencil, so no need for a sharpener. Lots of good things going on right here.

Heroine was part of MAC’s Reel Sexy lipstick collection back in 2012, and sold out like hot cakes. It re-launched last winter as part of the permanent collection, and I now know why. It seems to be the perfect concoction of purple and magenta, and is also matte, with the slightest hint of a sheen finish.

I can see this being a flattering shade on every skin tone, mine included! It’s very similar to the Revlon balm, but the small amount of sheen seems to make it pop a little more on my lips. 

I live for OCC's Lip Tars. They’re seriously the best things to walk into my beauty world in quite some time. So I naturally had to try out their new shade called Technopagan, a “metallic blackened purple with blue pearl” -- although I’ve been calling it the “purple toning shampoo” shade for a while now.

I’m still not sure how I feel about it, although it has grown on me quite a bit in the past few days. But by the looks of my neighbor’s facial expression, I’m not so sure if this is the winning look. I think I’d need to be someone like Joan Jett to get away with it, hence my attempt to make a face like I’m a badass or something. 

By the way, my neighbor caught me taking purple lip selfies on my patio. I’m still uncertain if he was freaked out by the purple lipstick, or by the overload of selfies being snapped on a Monday afternoon -- or the combination of both. (I live in Salt Lake City, by the way, so purple lipstick and self-absorbed selfies aren’t the norm here.)

I have my own thoughts on what might be the winning purple lippie here, but I'd love honest feedback from you. Which shade should I add to my fall beauty look? Or any others I should try out?